OTTAWA — Team USA has a chance to make history, and Finland wants to display their "lion mentality" to the world. That's what stake today.
With a chance to become the first American team in World Juniors history to defend their gold medal, the only thing that stands in the way for David Carle's men is a Finnish group with fire in their eyes.
The 2025 World Juniors gold medal game marks the second time the two nations have met in the finals. In 2019 a late goal from Kappo Kakko led the Finns over Jack Hughes and the Americans in Vancouver.
This edition of Team USA are focused on their own path
Despite Michael Hrabal's best efforts, a vintage Gabriel Perreault and Ryan Leonard performance carried Team USA to a 4-1 win over Czechia in the semifinals.
You can see why the Washington Capitals were ready to try playing Leonard in the NHL this year. He plays every game like it's the gold medal game.
Watch him battle to get this puck to Perreault on the opening goal:
Gabe Perreault opens the scoring for Team USA after an amazing pass from Ryan Leonard!!!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/JkQvZDCNuJ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 5, 2025
Perreault returned the favour, setting up Leonard with 4:27 left to put a dagger in the heart of the Czechs — but it was 13th forward Cole Eiserman who scored the game-winner. It was a textbook finish from the USNTDP's all-time leading goal scorer:
Cole Eiserman SNIPES it!!!!
USA up 2-1#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/g4NbR8gnvT
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 5, 2025
The New York Islanders 2024 first-round pick is thriving in a limited role, coming up with timely scoring for head coach David Carle. Deployed mostly on the powerplay, Eiserman could be compared to a designated hitter in baseball.
"We don't win these games without him," said Carle after the win. "I can't say enough good things about the way he's handled it.
This was the USA's most complete victory in Ottawa so far. The top guys were clicking, they had timely penalty kills and Augustine recovered from letting in a weak tying goal. It's easy to get swept up in clichés in a major junior hockey press conference, but the Americans truly rely on all four lines (and Eiserman) to score. It's a top-to-bottom effort.
"Everyone's playing hard and embracing their role," explained defenceman Zeev Buium. "That was our message going into the tournament."
Eiserman insists he's not just helping his team on the scoresheet.
"[I want to do] whatever I can to help the team win, be a good person, a good teammate, a leader," said the 18-year-old. "That's something I've taken pride in this tournament, to try and let the guys know I'm there for them no matter what."
The Boston University freshman, playing at his first World Juniors, is one of many players who have stepped seamlessly into this group. The returning players, like Buium, Leonard, and Perreault are all finding another gear as the tournament closes.
Carle has maintained a positive environment for his team by getting the pressure out of the way early. He made sure they were aware of what would be on the line in Ottawa months ago:
"That was our first meeting in the summer, we spoke pretty honestly about the fact that our country had never [won gold in back-to-back tournaments,]" he said.
Addressing the elephant in the room well in advance, Carle's group has become a well-oiled machine with a razor's edge. They enter the final as a formidable force that will be heavily favourited.
"If we were thinking big picture, we wouldn't be here."
Finland remains a fixture in the World Juniors' medal round
Earlier in the day, Benjamin Rautainen scored the overtime winner as the Finns showed enough fight to defeat their rivals, Sweden, 4-3.
It's Team Finland's twelfth appearance in the gold medal game and the fourth in the last 12 tournaments. It's also worth noting that only Finland, USA and Canada won gold during that span.
It wasn't exactly a highlight-reel play — a trick shot that deceived Swedish netminder Melker Thelin.
"I didn't see it go in, but then I saw the bench," said goalie Petteri Rimpinen, who turned aside 43 shots in the win. "[Emil] Pieniniemi jumped on me and I almost cried in that moment, it was so awesome."
Finland's game-winning goal was a 'no-looker' on the power play#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/tUrHhPw8lf
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 4, 2025
"I think the goal means a lot for the team, for our whole country," said Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju.
"I've never seen anyone score a goal as big as he did tonight," he added. "Thank god he did for us."
Before the tournament, this wasn't a highly regarded Finnish squad. The nation has earned its reputation as a year-in-year-out contender but beyond Konsta Helenius, this group lacks blue-chip prospects. They were knocked out of the previous two editions of the U18s worlds at the quarterfinal stage.
Kiviharju, who was once regarded as the top prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft before an ACL injury curtailed his draft-eligible campaign, says his team plays better with a chip on their shoulder.
"I think everyone knows each other well. Both groups have gone through some adversity: The 05s lost in Switzerland against Slovakia and last year the 06s lost in their home tournament against Sweden," explained the 18-year-old.
"We kind of have that revenge mindset in every game: we feel we have something to prove. That feeds us every day, to be the best we can as a team."
Rimpinen said his team decided to embrace the idea of being underdogs before they arrived in Ottawa.
"Nobody believed in us before the tournament, so this is great. Now we can just focus on winning."
After the game, Lizz Child of FloHockey asked Rimpinen about his necklace of a lion's head.
The netminder explained it bears the team's logo — Team Finland are known as Leijonat or "The Lions."
"That's the mentality for me. Lion mentality" explained the 18-year-old, who was passed over in last summer's NHL Draft.
They may have begun the tournament as underdogs, but now Finland can become the kings of the jungle.
Parting Notes
- Trey Augustine became the winningest American goalie in tournament history with his 11th-career WJC victory
- Zeev Buium played 28:34 in the Americans' win
- Buffalo Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius recorded an assist on all four Finnish goals
- Heading into the final day, there is a five-way tie for the tournament-scoring lead
- Jakub Stancl (CZE) - 6 GP, 6 G, 9 PTS
- Dalibor Dvorsky (SVK) - 5 GP, 5 G, 9 PTS
- Axel Sandin-Pelikka (SWE) - 6 GP, 4 G, 9 PTS
- Gabe Perreault (USA) - 6 GP, 3 G, 9 PTS
- Cole Hutson (USA) - 6 GP, 2 G, 9 PTS
- Petteri Rimpinen leads all goaltenders at the tournament with a .940 SV% on 215 shots
- The best players of each team (selected by coaches)
- Canada
- G Carter George (LAK)
- D Tanner Molendyk (NSH)
- F Brayden Yager (WPG)
- Czechia
- G Michael Hrabal (UTAH)
- F Petr Sikora (WSH)
- Vojtech Husinecky
- Finland
- G Petteri Rimpinen (DY+1)
- F Konsta Helenius (BUF)
- F Jesse Kiiskinen (DET)
- Germany
- F Julius Sumpf (DY+2)
- D Carlos Handel (2026)
- G Linus Viellard
- Kazakhstan
- Aslan Zhussupbekov
- Kirill Lyapunov
- Vladimir Nikitin
- Latvia
- G Linus Feldbergs (DY+2)
- F Eriks Mateiko (WSH)
- D Peteris Bulans (DY+2_
- Switzerland
- F Leo Braillard (DY+2)
- F Simon Meier (DY+2)
- F Andro Kaderli (DY+2)
- Slovakia
- F Dalibor Dvorsky (STL)
- F Roman Kukumberg (DY+2)
- D Luka Radivojevic (2025)
- Sweden
- D Axel Sandin-Pelikka (DET)
- F David Edstrom (NSH)
- F Felix Undger Sorum (CAR)
- USA
- D Cole Hutson (WSH)
- F Danny Nelson (NYI)
- Ryan Leonard (WSH)
- Canada